February 12, 2015
U.S. Secret Service Protection
Overview
Protected Individuals and Facilities
The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) conducts two missions—
The following are the current individuals authorized USSS
criminal investigations and protection. Criminal
protection in 18 U.S.C. Section 3056(a):
investigations focus primarily on financial crimes, whereas
protection focuses on the safety and security of specific
President, Vice President, President- and Vice
government officials. The criminal investigation mission is
President- elect;
the USSS’s oldest mission; however, the protection mission
immediate families of those listed above;
is the one that receives the most public and media attention.
The protection mission is the more visible, and includes the
former Presidents, their spouses, and their children
protection of the President, Vice President, their families,
under the age of 16;
former Presidents, and major candidates for those offices,
along with the White House and Vice President’s
former Vice Presidents, their spouses, and their children
under the age 16;
residences. Protective activities of the USSS also extend to
foreign missions (embassies, consulates, residences, and
visiting heads of foreign states or governments;
other buildings used by foreign governments) in the District
distinguished foreign visitors and official United States
of Columbia and to designated individuals, such as the
representatives on special missions abroad; and
Department of Homeland Security Secretary and visiting
dignitaries. Separate from protecting these specific
major presidential and vice presidential candidates
mandated individuals, USSS is responsible for certain
within 120 days of the general presidential elections,
security activities such as National Special Security Events,
and their spouses.
which include inauguration ceremonies, major party
The USSS is also required to secure the White House
quadrennial national conventions, as well as some
complex, the Vice President’s residence at the Naval
international conferences and events held in the United
Observatory, the Treasury Building, foreign diplomatic
States.
missions in Washington, DC, and temporarily, the personal
residences of the President and Vice President. These
History of U.S. Secret Service Protection facilities are primarily secured by the USSS’s Uniform
In March 2003, USSS was transferred from the Department
Division.
of Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS). With this transfer, DHS generally, and USSS
Specific Protection Activities
specifically became the federal department responsible for
As the pool of prospective protectees has evolved over
protecting significant and specified persons and property.
time, so has the manner in which they are protected.
Prior to the enactment of the Homeland Security Act of
Originally, USSS protection entailed agents being what
2002, the Treasury Department was responsible for this
could be described as “body guards.” Now protection
protection (through USSS) for over 100 years.
operations include not only the presence of agents in close
proximity to the protectee, but also advance security
The Service has been protecting presidents from President
surveys of locations to be visited; coordination with
Grover Cleveland in 1894 on a part-time basis to the
foreign, state, and local law enforcement entities; and
continual (24 hours a day) protection of President Barack
intelligence analysis of present and future threats. The
Obama today. Over the years, the USSS protection mission
USSS protection mission comprises human resources,
has been affected by unofficial decisions (such as President
physical barriers, technology, and reviews of critical
Cleveland’s protection) and congressional mandate (such as
infrastructure and their vulnerabilities. 18 U.S.C. 3056(e)-
the protection of major presidential candidates). USSS
(f) also authorize the USSS to conduct other activities such
protection activities have expanded with an increase in the
as participating in the planning, coordination, and
number of protected individuals, while there has been only
implementation of security operations at special events of
one instance of a specified type of protectee being removed
national significance; and providing forensic and
from the authorized list of protectees.
investigative assistance involving missing and exploited
children.
Over the past century, the Service has received
congressional action that focused primarily on its protection
Threats to Protectees
mission. The most recent congressional action includes the
Presidential safety is and has been a concern throughout the
enactment of the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds
nation’s history. For example, fears of kidnapping and
Improvement Act of 2011, which amended 18 U.S.C. 1752
assassination threats to Abraham Lincoln began with his
and made it a crime for unauthorized person to enter a
journey to Washington, DC, for the 1861 inauguration.
building secured by USSS.
Concern for presidential safety is legitimized by the number
of attempted and successful assaults against Presidents. Ten
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U.S. Secret Service Protection
Presidents have been victims of direct assaults by assassins,
These security breaches and an apparently unwitting
with four resulting in death (Presidents Abraham Lincoln,
operator’s breach of the White House grounds on January
James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F.
26, 2015, by a recreational drone—that crashed on the lawn
Kennedy). Since the USSS started officially protecting
of the White House—followed a series of confirmed and
Presidents in 1906, seven assaults have occurred, with one,
alleged incidents of misconduct by USSS agents. The
President Kennedy, resulting in death. In 1917, Congress
House Appropriations Committee stated in the report
enacted legislation (39 Stat. 919) that made it a crime to
accompanying the FY2015 DHS appropriations bill that it
threaten the President.
was “deeply disappointed by recurring allegations of
misconduct within the Secret Service.” The Committee
At a 2009 congressional hearing, former USSS Director
withheld $20 million from its recommendation for the
Sullivan stated that there had been no increase in death
USSS management budget until it submit a report providing
threats to President Obama compared to the number of
evidence that the USSS has addressed these confirmed and
death threats made against former Presidents George W.
alleged incidents of misconduct.
Bush and William J. Clinton even though some media
sources had reported otherwise. The extent to which
FY2014 and FY2015 Estimated
Presidents have been threatened or targeted remains a
Obligations for USSS Protection Mission
matter of conjecture.
Activities
In FY2014, the USSS estimates that it will have obligated
Recent Protection Security Breaches
the following amounts for protective mission activities:
On September 19, 2014, a person gained unauthorized
entrance into the White House after climbing the perimeter
Protection of Persons and Facilities—$860 million;
fence. The House Oversight and Government Reform
Committee held a hearing entitled “White House Perimeter
Protective Intelligence Activities—$67 million;
Breach: New Concerns about the Secret Service,” on
National Special Security Events—$ 9 million; and
September 30, 2014, which addressed this breach and
Total Protection—$936 million.
previous incidents. The committee inquired if deficient
In FY2015, the USSS estimates it will obligate the
protection procedures, insufficient funding, inadequate
following amounts for protective mission activities:
funding, personnel shortages, or low morale contributed to
this and past security breaches.
Protection of Persons and Facilities—$870 million;
Later that day at the hearing, it became public that earlier in
Protective Intelligence Activities—$68 million;
the year an armed private security contractor at a federal
National Special Security Events—$5 million;
facility was allowed to share an elevator with President
Obama during a site visit, in violation of USSS security
Presidential Candidate Nominee Protection—$26
protocols. The following day, October 1, 2014, USSS
million; and
Director Julia Pierson resigned. Former USSS Director
Total Protection—$969 million.
Pierson has been replaced by Joseph P. Clancy, who is the
Service’s Acting Director until President Obama selects a
Shawn Reese, Analyst in Emergency Management and
permanent USSS Director. It should also be noted that
Homeland Security Policy
USSS Deputy Director A.T. Smith resigned on February 9,
2015.
IF10130
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U.S. Secret Service Protection
Disclaimer
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